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xbgthardtop
14th May 2009, 09:11 PM
Hi has anybody had any sucess drying pine like the attached pictures.
I have got a lot of these that I get from a local factory and the sizes are pertect for what the bowls that I want to make. I haven't managed to get one dry yet with out it cracking down some of the rays.

Skew ChiDAMN!!
14th May 2009, 09:28 PM
You won't get "one big bowl" out of it. Not without serious splitting. :no:

You'll need to split it in two through the heart, and you'll get a bowl out of each half. Ideally, you'd split it in such a way that you can throw the heart section away.

Then seal the end-grain on both ends. I prefer Mobilcer, a commercial product, but there are plenty of other alternatives. Dipping the ends in melted paraffin wax, for example. Even painting the ends with leftover enamel paint is better than nothing.

After that, it's a waiting game... :sigh:

powderpost
14th May 2009, 10:01 PM
I agree with splitting along the middle. Why not rough turn them and bury in sawdust or shavings and coat? Last time I tried to buy mobilcer I was told it is no longer available and has been replaced with a product called "endcheck".
Jim

dai sensei
14th May 2009, 10:26 PM
Agree with others, but how good is your turning, you could green turn it to 2mm thick then dry slowly in sawdust before hand finishing it.

xbgthardtop
14th May 2009, 10:50 PM
My turning is not that good.I Would like to store it untouched / sealed if possible. When you guys say take the heart out do you mean all the sap wood or just the pith?

Skew ChiDAMN!!
14th May 2009, 11:19 PM
It has been a long time since I bothered with drying my own pine rounds, but from memory I think it's one of those woods that splits along the outside, rather than developing star-shakes in the middle (like fruitwoods.)

If I'm remembering rightly, just splitting it through the pith will improve it's "survivability" significantly. :)


Last time I tried to buy mobilcer I was told it is no longer available and has been replaced with a product called "endcheck".

:oo: Thank God I bought 60L last time around! (My share of a bulk purchase with like-minded friends.)

rsser
15th May 2009, 09:31 AM
For a bowl you need the grain running at right angles to the lathe axis. Your offcut length needs to be equal to or a bit larger than its diameter. Don't try and turn an end-grain bowl.

...

As for log sealer, you can get 1l tins of emulsified wax from www.thewoodsmith.com.au (http://www.thewoodsmith.com.au) by mail order. Not cheap but if you don't do much ...

jefferson
15th May 2009, 09:23 PM
Ern and Co,

I just had 10 cm (apparently 10 ton in the old language) of redgum delivered for firewood - snow already on the Alps. Now some of it just looks too good to burn. Should I give it the end-grain treatment or just rough-turn some bowls and let it dry? The wood seems dry enough, though I don't have a moisture meter.

Jeff

rsser
15th May 2009, 09:44 PM
Sealing end grain Jeff won't hurt but the stuff will check anyway most likely.

Cut redgum into rounds, then split it ... maybe it changes the stress patterns ...and most times off it goes.

You've seen what happens even when the stuff is dried under controlled conditions.

But if you've got some smaller sound clear bits it may be worth cutting the unsound away with the bandy. I'd only seal those if they'll be stored under varying temps. My two bob's worth.

You must've had some cold nights already in the valley. I'm getting the gear ready for the first good snowfall. New yewbeaut bindings that are sposed to release in all directions, made by a 79 year old retired aviation engineer in the States with a string of patents to his name. He still skis, and lives, in Mammoth.

powderpost
15th May 2009, 10:19 PM
Some time back I was given some Carribea pine by the farmer next door. Freshly felled, I cut it down the pith line and turned it green to about 19mm thick. The blanks were buried in shavings and finished and polished 6 weeks later when the was negligible loss in weight.
Jim

Calm
16th May 2009, 10:50 AM
Ern and Co,

I just had 10 cm (apparently 10 ton in the old language) of redgum delivered for firewood - snow already on the Alps. Now some of it just looks too good to burn. Should I give it the end-grain treatment or just rough-turn some bowls and let it dry? The wood seems dry enough, though I don't have a moisture meter.

Jeff

JIM JIM moisture meter order on the way, Jeff all good self confessed tool s^&*s have a moisturer meter -

no seriously its firewood if you dont seal it and it cracks what are you going to do with it. yep put it back in the firewood pile.

I wood just try some and see how it goes, maybe rough turn some bowls down to 1inch thick then wait for a month and finish them off. If they crack well they are only firewood again.

Cheers

rsser
16th May 2009, 10:54 AM
Uneven moisture loss rates is only one cause of cracking or checking David.

Relieving stresses is a second. Redgum is one of the worst culprits here that I've encountered, leastways in larger bits.

jefferson
16th May 2009, 01:27 PM
You must've had some cold nights already in the valley. I'm getting the gear ready for the first good snowfall. New yewbeaut bindings that are sposed to release in all directions, made by a 79 year old retired aviation engineer in the States with a string of patents to his name. He still skis, and lives, in Mammoth.

Yes, Ern, it's got cold in a hurry. Three weeks ago we could see snow from the back corner of out place, though I think most of it has melted with the recent rains.

Let me know when you're going past and drop in for a cuppa.

Jeff